In addition to their regular work MAF responds to disaster relief and has been flying medical staff and supplies into the countries affected by the Ebola outbreak.

More recently in Nepal there has been not just one but two major earthquakes recently that have claimed thousands of lives. Responding to this has stretched MAF’s resources because in addition to flights on behalf of these 1,500 charities, they also provide expertise in procurement and telecommunications, which makes these mercy flights possible.

Visitors to the coffee morning were able to see a small MAF Cessna 162 aircraft on display.

Organiser, Stan Paliwoda, said: “We invited people to sit in the cockpit and many of them asked how such a small plane could possibly be of help in developing countries.

“I explained it’s a very light plane so it can land on fields or dirt track roads. It could carry twelve crates of vaccine, with 5,000 doses of vaccine to one crate. That’s enough for 60,000 people! A small plane like this could make contact with a community when it may take three days for ground transportation to reach them because roads have been washed away by floods or destroyed another way.”

The church is still accepting donations, or donate directly to MAF at www.maf-uk.org.